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8 Albums That Had Hard Acts To Follow

One of the biggest challenges for any band is releasing a successful album that breaks them into the mainstream. However, perhaps an even bigger challenge is following up said successful…

Aerosmith 'Rocks'; Fleetwood Mac 'Tusk'; Def Leppard 'Hysteria'; Bon Jovi 'New Jersey'
Columbia/Warner Bros./Mercury/Island

One of the biggest challenges for any band is releasing a successful album that breaks them into the mainstream. However, perhaps an even bigger challenge is following up said successful album with another successful album.

This is certainly not a unique problem. Many bands in rock history have been faced with the daunting task of trying to follow up a super-successful album. These bands range from straight-forward rockers to metal giants to pop-rock heavyweights.

Some of these bands managed to follow up a successful album with an even greater success. Def Leppard is a great example of a band that managed to accomplish this feat.

Other bands took a chance and decided to pivot and experiment with their sound. Fleetwood Mac is a prime example of this, even though it was met with mixed results upon release.

Meanwhile, some bands double-downed on their chosen musical style to deliver more hit songs, like Aerosmith and Bon Jovi.

Without further ado, here are eight albums that had hard acts to follow. There's a good chance you own an album or two from the list below.

Bon Jovi – 'New Jersey' (1988)

bon-jovi_New-Jersey_Island.jpgIsland

Aerosmith - 'Rocks' (1976)

aerosmith_rocks_Columbia.jpgColumbia

Def Leppard – 'Hysteria' (1987)

def-leppard_hysteria_Mercury.jpgMercury

Pearl Jam - 'Vs.' (1993)

pearl-jam_vs_Epic.jpgEpic

AC/DC – 'For Those About To Rock We Salute You' (1981)

acdc_for-those_Atlantic.jpgAtlantic

Fleetwood Mac – 'Tusk' (1979)

fleetwood_tusk_Warner-Bros.jpgWarner Bros.

Metallica – 'Load' (1996)

metallica_load_Elektra.jpgElektra

Linkin Park – 'Meteora' (2003)

Linkin-Park_Meteora_Warner-Bros.jpgWarner Bros.
Erica Banas is a news blogger who's been covering the rock/classic rock world since 2014. The coolest event she's ever covered in person was the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Sir Paul McCartney inducting Foo Fighters? C'mon now!) She's also well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights